Freedom for Contrez – Part Three

(Dangerous Duels)

Fifth in the Forest Amazon Series

By Wyldewood

What had gone before:

Contrez, former queen of the mountain people and now slave to Queen Amerlin after a winner takes all duel to end the war between their people had in only a couple of months made a remarkable name for herself. She exposed and helped eliminate traitors to Queen Amerlin from among her own people, and just recently when Suhr the Red Bear made an attempt to kill both Amerlin and Contrez, Contrez in a formal fight against him killed the man, though not without dangerous injuries to herself. However, in doing so, she not only avenged the death of her sister who died at Suhr's hands, but significantly impressed Amerlin as well. The various deeds and actions had been enough to remove two of the three black bands around her neck that marks her as a slave, though she has yet to reach a point where she has lost either of the red bands around her neck that marks her as Queen Amerlin's personal prize and that she belonged to her. Worse and perhaps to the dismay of Contrez was the growing animosity of a warrior woman named Spice who is or more accurately was the queen's favored, a role Contrez now filled and a nasty love triangle was clearly building that was apt to be trouble for everyone involved.

And Now. . .Story Five “Dangerous Duels”

As Queen Amerlin led Contrez away from the crowds outside and back inside the Queen's hut complex and to her personal quarter's area, she could not but notice the troubled look on the face of Contrez. Asker her slave why the face, Contrez just shook her head ‘no' and quietly said “It's nothing for you to know about, I'll be OK.” To another, the words might have been enough, but Amerlin could see that Contrez was trying to get her off the subject, and in turn put the question on hold as she and Contrez waited in the main meeting chamber for the song makers and story bearers to come and hear the tale of the great fight against Suhr. The whole thing would take more time than the fight itself as they were fascinated by the tale themselves, and oft interrupted asking for additional details, some of which the two were hard pressed to supply due to the heat and intensity of the battle, but it was finally done, and dismissing them, Amerlin led Contrez back to her own private chamber, and once more offered her favored slave the invite to come in to her bed and pleasure her. It was an offer that Contrez was more than willing to accept, but then the trap closed on her as Amerlin set her up and locked her deftly in a figure four leg lock and started to pour on the pressure. Twisting to try and roll the queen and reverse the hold, Contrez shuddered in pain as her bound and broken ribs cried out in sharp pain in turn, and her abrupt stopping to roll over got an amused chuckle from Amerlin.

“Here in my bed, as you well know you are mine, you must obey me in all I command, without hesitation and without any kind of deception” she half purred. “Now I'm going to ask you again, why the troubled look on your face before?” To drive her point home, Amerlin reefed up on the pressure to the legs and Contrez grimaced. She had walked right in to the trap and as the queen's slave and as she had understood and agreed before, she had to now obey the queen there on the bed. Slowly, and with a bit of prodding from the queen, she laid out the trouble that was developing between her and Spice. It was enough to get a frown from Amerlin in turn, and she suddenly released Contrez from the painful hold and sat up herself so she could face her slave.

She could have simply told Contrez to not worry about it, or even taken steps of her own against one or the other woman, but she chose instead to tell the tale of Spice freely and openly to Contrez, holding nothing back in the process. “To the west and south of this valley are the high cliffs that in part protect and shelter this land from both the weather and from possible enemies, but not all of them. The stone itself is filled with a veritable maze of tunnels and caves and even huge caverns that are home to a primitive tribe of men and women. They are not all that smart, but their many hard years living in the caves have made them a very powerful people strength wise, and it was their confidence in that strength that made them start to enter the valley from some of the cave openings and take from the land, even as they had in the past from exits that enter the lands well beyond our own valley kingdom.” For a moment Amerlin paused as she recalled the events of that time and then continued. “At first, we were willing to let them hunt in our lands, and gather as well, as that seemed to be all they were interested in. But then they decided to attack this village taking several young men and women and children as their prisoners and leaving several others dead. Such an act we would not let go unanswered and within a couple hours we had a full war party gathered and followed their easy to find trail to a cave entry and tried to find the prisoners. It would be a long and difficult fight, they knew the caves and tunnels and we didn't and we lost several as we went in deeper and deeper to root them out and find our people.” It was clear as Amerlin paused that she had been there and had played a key role in the many fights, but her eyes then focused on Contrez and her voice thickened a bit. “We found a huge cavern, one of their main villages and a great battle erupted. We found our villagers prisoners in a small side cave, and it was guarded by three fighters of theirs, Spice was one of them, and I found myself in a hand to hand fight with her soon after we started and both managed to remove and eliminated the other's weapons, throwing them far beyond easy reach for either of us.. The others were dispatched quickly, but Spice fought hard and stubbornly refusing to quit and determine to die fighting if need be. The others tried to step in but I called them off, this was my fight, and it became a fight of attrition and honor between us that lasted almost two hours before I finally managed to trap her long enough to break a leg and then a couple ribs, before a well placed blow rendered her unconscious and our people were free once more to be returned home. Spice and a handful of others were also taken prisoner and also returned to the village. There they faced trial for the attack and kidnapping of our people and were found guilty. All were given the choice of either death or becoming slave. Most chose death, but two including Spice would become slave, and she only because I stepped forward and claimed her as mine as a result of the battle between us, something much as you and I recently fought and I defeated you.”

“Spice, almost forced us to kill her, but I made a few choices available to her if she surrendered to me, and she perhaps saw the advantage of accepting and did. That was the start of her rise in this village. It took her three years to earn the removal of all her black bands though to this day both red bands that mark her as mine remains. She is a powerful woman, and has some wrestling skills but not a lot, and her lack of intelligence made it hard for her to learn much more, but two things she did excel at and they were hunting and the bearhug, and she and I had several highly competitive bearhug battles with neither holding back, and she became one of my favored, even as you have become one as well.”

With a shrug that did interesting things to her breasts, Amerlin continued. . . “You won't have to worry too much about that however, a week from now I'll be sending you away from the village for a while and she won't be a reason to worry about for a while.” Protests started to rise in Contrez's throat, it seemed like the queen was trying to hide her from Spice to avoid trouble, and despite the fact she was still slave to her, she knew the queen enough to know she could speak her mind when they were alone at least like now, and she started to do so, but a stern look from Amerlin had her words faltering after just the first few. Then the smile seemed to touch the queen's lips again. “This has nothing to do with Spice, though I admit it's also useful in that way as well. Rather you will be serving me instead. I told you when you arrived with your people that I had plans for you in particular and this is one of them.” Contrez held her peace for the moment though her eyes still betrayed her skepticism and got a chuckle from the queen, amused at the rebellious spirit still in her prized slave. “You might recall, we spread your people among all the larger villages as well as established the new one to the east at the edge of the valley where the river flows out on to the plains. It is my plan to make a tour of those villages soon, as I should as part of my duties as queen over all the villages now. What I want from you is to go with a small group first to all the villages, speak to the chieftess I have set in each of them and speak to the people, especially those who were your people and find out what is needed to make things better.”

“You and the others in your party will have two weeks to visit them all and return to me and tell me what you have found so I may make my own plans to deal with it, when I depart a couple days later for my own trip, and you will accompany me on this journey as well. To serve as my council and guide along with the others to resolve any troubles that may exist.” The dubious look faded from the eyes of Contrez as she realized that she was essentially going to go out as a good will ambassador as well as spy a bit on the queen's behalf to prepare her for the journey she had in mind for herself.

Considering the fact she was still a slave, this was quite a high honor, but then she also realized perhaps for the first time, that Amerlin had been giving her a good deal of honor all along, the release of her back to her own people to lead the survivors from the mountains for example. She could just have let her stay her prisoner and let them perish, but she didn't. Even after she returned with them to take their new role, she had publicly announced they would all be treated fairly, and this new action of hers seemed to fit right in. A warm sense and thrill went through her, as she realized just how good the lives of her people had become, going from near and probable extinction to what looked (at least in this village) to being more or less equal, each gaining ground based not on where they were from or who they were, but what they could do. Even as the Queen's slave, she was steadily making strides towards winning some of her freedoms back, the two broken black bands that she now kept wrapped around the belt on her waist in the hopes the last black and the red ones would follow said as much, and now this mission for the queen. . . .

Looking up at the queen from where she sat, she could see she had been watching the whole thing play out on her face, one of her few weaknesses she knew was her face and the expressions, she was not one to put on a false face, and the queen apparently realized this. The smile grew bigger as her line of thoughts came to an end, and then going to her hands and knees, Amerlin moved forward, her strong hands coming up and pushing Contrez over on her back and straddling her. It looked like the Queen had something else in mind, as she applied a short grapevine to her legs, and then stretched up and over Contrez and grinned down on her.

“The healer said I could not go real rough on you until those ribs of yours healed up,” she half whispered, with cat like quickness, she swooped in and down, her arms encircling the head of Contrez forcing her face deep in to the her cleavage for a dangerous breast smother meant to put her lights out. Her voice came to her ear however. . .”She said nothing about you not being rough and trying to crush me out first however before your own air runs out, now did she?” Even in her hurt state, the queen still wanted the rough play and her body was wide open and the invite was there. Contrez grinned an unseen grin hidden in the breathless trap she was in and her arms snapped up and around the queen in her best bearhug and poured all she had in to the bearhug intent on putting the queen out first.

Small grunts and groans came from the lips of both women quickly turning into half strangled moans as both their air quickly ran out and was crushed out and they tried to hold out the longest. Amerlin however knew what she had in mind, and had been quietly charging her lungs for the assault, unlike Contrez who did not know what was coming until too late, and the fight despite the punishment both took soon became a lopsided victory as Contrez after a good minute or so faltered and her arms loosened, tried to tighten again and then finally let go as she bucked and heaved under the queen before passing out. Unwinding herself from her own smothering grip, Amerlin grinned down at the unconscious woman under her. Her voice just a whisper, “A pity you took those injuries, there is so much more of you I want to explore, but for now. . . .”

Getting to her own feet, Amerlin dragged Contrez to the side of her bed and with a grunt, hoisted the dead weight on her shoulder and carried her in to the special chamber that doubled as her room for now and left her sleeping on the mats while she went out for a walk that night, and also to pay Spice a visit. The chat about her had awakened some of her favored memories of their bearhug fights, and a hunter tree was just a short distance from the village where they could retreat for some dueling. In the morning however. . . . .

It would be very late in the morning when Contrez finally did awaken from last night's encounter, the brief but intense battle plus her own injuries had worn her out badly, and she was tempted to just go back to sleep, but strange voices were coming from the queen's chamber as were sounds she did not expect to hear. Rising she padded out to the chamber and found close to a half dozen men and women working in there. Some were stripped down and in the process of enlarging the washing/swimming area. The majority however had opened up a hole in the wall of the queen's chamber exposing the outside, and she could see through it that the work of building a new small hut room was under way, the floor base was already down making it a room just a bit smaller than the queen's own, and some of the flooring and uprights were also starting to go on.

The work leader spotting Contrez awake smiled and came over, sketching a brief bow of welcome he said. “The queen wishes to see you in the main public hut once you have woke up.” And then turning to a couple workers, he issued orders and they moved to start moving the queen's furniture in to the special room that was for now Contrez's. Somewhat confused with all that was going on, Contrez put on a basic loincloth favored by many and sought out the queen. She was where they told her she would be, and she smiled and signaled her to wait until she was done with her work. The current work did not take too long, and she invited Contrez to walk with her around the village.

Things were definitely afoot she soon discovered, the new room was actually going to be hers for as long as she remained her favored, and for the time being, the queen was moving her own quarters in to the special purpose room where Contrez slept as well until all the work was done in about a week's time. This was not apt to handicap either, as the queen had decided after talking to the healer this morning that Contrez was well enough to travel if she took care, and decided to send her on her mission almost at once. With her would go five picked women to serve both her as well as serve as advisors to Contrez to make sure she did not break any of the laws of the land, as well as a pair of her hand picked warrior women. They would all be leaving the following morning to give them a couple extra days to visit all the villages. In the meantime however, the two wandered around the village center where the various vendors offered their goods, with Amerlin helping Contrez pick out a few items to wear on the trip as well as to go in her new room being built.

The morning was progressing well and slid comfortably in to the afternoon as Amerlin brought the group she would travel with to the main hut, introduced them and their duties to her, and then had Contrez do a dry run of her duties by going about this village as if it were one of the other ones while she watched and observed quietly. For her part, Contrez did do well enough though a couple advisors had to stop her and step in and explain certain laws and formalities she was starting to break that could cause her trouble.

It was late in the afternoon and the ‘tour' had returned to the village square where Contrez was listening to formal complaints to be brought to the queen, when Amerlin standing next to her suddenly stiffened, her breath with a half horrified tone to it quietly said, “Sweet spirits! She would not be so wild and angry enough to do that would she?!?”

Looking the same direction the queen was, she saw Spice approaching them, there was a look to her face, and she wore a red, black and gold banded cloth that cut diagonally across her body going front to back. She looked neither left nor right just at the queen as she approached, and those seeing her quickly got out of her way. Amerlin's voice became a low one with a definite sound of urgency to it and she told Contrez. This is between her and me, for the love of all the spirits greater and lesser, do not speak nor interfere in what is about to happen.” That said, she composed her own face in to an equally stern one, her eyes so full of life until now, showed only a coldness that Contrez had not seen before and she stepped away from between the queen and the approaching Spice.

Stopping about a dozen paces away from the queen, she formally saluted the queen, something that got murmurs from those watching, her voice came up clear and angry. “Hail Queen Amerlin, I come to you bearing a grievance that only the queen may resolve!” Amerlin's own voice was solid and stern as she responded formally and in turn. “What is your grievance and who is it against!” Spice's response was swift and sure, no hesitation at all. “My grievance is with you my queen, and it concerns the matter of my ‘most favored' status and being your chosen one!” The queen's eyes went from cold to a mixture of fire and ice and her words were cold and with more than a hint of scorn to them. “The matter of who I favor and who I consider ‘most favored' is my own prerogative. None may choose who I may favor or not favor, not even you, though I openly admit you had in the past been highly favored by me.”

Spices next words sent a chill through both Contrez and Amerlin and got a buzz from the crowd as she raised her voice angrily. “Not true my queen, even you are bound by our laws and rituals, and I now formally call for the Challenge of the Bear between us to force you to accept me as your most favored, and to force all others from your life for the next year!” For a brief moment, the queen's face twitched at the formal challenge a brief look of surprise and dismay crossed it, but was quickly shuttered, her voice rising to a shout. “Hear me my people, before you and the gods, this one has chosen the ritual of the bear, as Queen I must also obey the laws, and the ritual shall begin at dawn tomorrow. She has until dawn the next morning to prove her worthiness to me to be my most favored and my chosen one for the next year!” Her voice then dropped to a growl that had its own bear like rumble to it and she asked formally “Do you choose to be the bear or the prey?” Spice's words came at once, “I am the bear and you will know my power before the sun rises the next morning!” That said, she made a gesture and from the crowd gathered behind her, a young girl darted forward and handed her a partial bearskin and head that served at a hat of sorts and draped it over herself and turned to leave, now that the formal challenge had been given and was over.

“Hold!” the voice of the queen was sharp and with the crack of a whip like sound, and Spice stopped and slowly turned back to the queen. “You have the right of challenge and have used it, but the challenge has two edges to it, if you win you will be as you wish, my most favored and my chosen, but if you lose, I as queen have the right to seek any punishment I choose including your death if I so wish it. Know this and hear me my people, if this challenger fails in her challenge, she shall be declared ‘Kresh' a wild one who is no longer one with this kingdom. She will be expelled from not just this village but from the borders of this land to wander the lands beyond until the spirits deem otherwise!” That brought gasps from many and even the face of Spice twitched as she learned what her possible fate may be. She formally bowed again to the queen and turned and stiff backed walked away, and the voices of the villagers quickly rose.

For her part, Queen Amerlin gestured to her own party, dismissing all and turned to the main hut of the queen with Contrez hard pressed to keep up with the queen's fast pace.

Once there, and after sending her other members out of the chamber, Amerlin let loose with a string of profanity that startled even Contrez, she had not thought the queen could be like this and after she had quieted down a bit, asked what was going on. With a wan smile, Amerlin sank in to the chair that served as her formal seat of power and explained it as best as she could. “The challenge and ritual she had invoked is very old and dates back to the earliest years of our people in this valley. Only three times before has this ritual been formally invoked, and she's right, I may not refuse her right to make this attempt, though how she found out about that ancient ritual, I'd like to know, I had thought I could make her back down as was my queen's right, I never even thought about the ritual until she invoked the name of it. In essence, she will have starting at dawn tomorrow in a private duel the full day and night to bearhug me in an attempt to break me in body and spirit and make me swear her as my chosen and most favored. As such, no others, yourself included may approach me in an informal matter as we have enjoyed without breaking the laws and she would have the right of deadly challenge in any way she chooses, and she will chose a way she knows she will win, be sure of that. For my part as the ‘prey' I may not attack in turn, only resist her bearhugs by the tensing of my body and using moves and holds to neutralize her effectiveness with her own bearhug.” Looking more directly at Contrez she said, “Tomorrow before dawn, you will have to leave this hut as will all others; it will be surrounded by guards with orders to kill any who attempt to enter while the challenge is underway. Even you would be killed despite who you are if you tried to enter. Only three of us will be in here, Spice, and myself engaged in the duel, and the high priestess of war to serve as witness to the challenge and to declare the outcome to all.”

It was sobering news to Contrez, she had seen the latent power of the woman in question, and after Amerlin had told her the story of Spice the last night, she could not but wonder how Amerlin could outlast the ordeal, and if her own favored status was about to come to an end. Again, her usually expressive face betrayed her thoughts and Amerlin read them correctly and she warned Contrez. “Don't even think of interfering with the challenge or of seeing or confronting Spice before it takes place. To do so would be a violation of many of our laws, the penalty even if you managed to kill her would be death in turn. That put an end to the initial thoughts that were brewing in Contrez's own mind and it got a smile from Amerlin in turn. “You can be sure; the word of the challenge is already through the entire village, and even now probably making its way to other nearby villages as well.” A better smile touched the queen's lips briefly, “Do not fear for me, Spice may think she has the upper hand here, but I know certain things that I can do in the challenge that she may not have considered. She'll find out when the time is right, that this ‘prey' is not as helpless as she might think I am.”

Further details the queen would not divulge, and she also cancelled all other activities until after the challenge, retiring to the temporary bed chamber almost at once. No invites to the bed were offered, and in point of fact, she told Contrez to sleep in her former bedroom alone while she closed the door in her face, denying them both any last time together so the queen could rest as much as possible and be ready come dawn.

That time came all too soon for Contrez and she was rudely woke up from a sleep that was fitful at best by a number of guards that knocked on the inner door and called that it was time, and then hustled Contrez out unceremoniously, even as the war high priestess walked in, knocked at the door and announced herself and was admitted. Once outside, Contrez could see the first signs of dawn lightening the sky. Spice was also there, wearing the bearskin but nothing else in the dim light of the approaching sun and the torches held by many guards as they surrounded the hut and gestured for the many villagers who had come to see the start of the challenge back. There was nothing really to see however, neither the queen nor the priestess appeared at the entry, and as the sun first cracked over the horizon, Spice darted for the door of the hut, the bear garment dropping at the doorway as she entered to lay on the ground, it's growling features looking out at them all, and then disappeared from sight as she raced for the queen's chamber.

One of the guard leaders that had escorted Contrez out came over to her and said quietly. There's a bed at the hut of the warriors for your use if you want it, this is going to be a long ordeal for us all until the challenge has resolved. Contrez thanked the leader but chose to join several villagers who staked out a spot under a few trees near the entry to the hut and settled in to wait there. The hours slowly passed as the sun rose towards the zenith and then began the slow slide towards sunset, and still no sign of any of the three women from within. Some of the villagers gave up their own watch and returned to their own huts to rest and be back at dawn, but not Contrez. She would from time to time get up from where she sat and waited to circle the hut. The opening in to the queen's bedchamber where the new hut was going up had a dozen guarding that opening, and they were clearly no nonsense in the matter of anyone even coming close.

As evening closed in and a new guard took over the watch, Contrez found a sympathetic pair who knew her and her status with the queen, and the fact the challenge was about her. They still would not let her try to get in, but they did allow her to sit on the ground next to the wall of the chamber where the queen and Spice were even now still struggling. Faintly through the walls she could hear low moans of pain from at least two different voices and the occasional murmur of the voice of the high priestess though her words could not be made out. The next several hours saw Contrez remaining there until a new guard watch came along and she was forced to once again move away by a less sympathetic guard.

As she did so, she glanced at the sky, the moon was already close to the zenith, and she had not liked the sounds she had heard in there, was fearful that Amerlin was very close to breaking, and losing the challenge. There were still several more hours to go before dawn, and Contrez not being much of a worshiper herself quietly offered a prayer to the goddess of war to help Amerlin win the challenge. Resuming her watch under the tree closest to the front door, she waited for the hours to pass with near agonizing slowness, her own fatigue warring with her and she occasionally slipped in to sleep only to jerk awake with each noticeable sound. One such sound would be from several of the villagers returning as well, and with a start, she realized she had slept maybe an hour the last time and the eastern horizon was starting to lighten up. The presence of the guards said that the challenge was still ongoing; there was no winner yet, no yielding by Amerlin. But she also realized that Spice would also know her time was running out, she would be at her most dangerous in this last time period as she mounted a final attempt to force the queen to concede.

A sudden burst of light heralded the arrival of dawn as the sun cracked the horizon. The challenge was over, but who had won? Several slow minutes passed by as the sun rose higher and cleared the horizon, and then Spice came to the doorway, naked as she had entered. Half staggering, she looked around and then seeing Contrez gave her a look of pure hatred and then half staggering and half running she moved towards the edge of the village and disappeared in to the forest beyond, even as the high priestess appeared in the doorway, picked up the bearskin and holding it aloft declared. “Powerful was the bear, but more powerful was our queen, Spice has failed in her challenge and the queen had ordered her to leave the land with nothing to her name, not even the clothes on her back or her weapons!”

Cheers erupted from the throats of many of the villagers, but not from Contrez's as soon as the priestess had declared the queen ‘more powerful' she shot forward and through the doorway heading through the huts to the chamber where the queen laid on the floor moving feebly, her breath coming in hoarse and ragged breaths. Contrez moved to help her to her feet, but the queen saw her and waved her to a halt. Her breath hoarse and barely louder than a whisper she said, “Broken ribs wait for the healers to come and do what they must first.” It was not a long wait as the high priestess returned and with several others in tow, and they went to work on the queen, checking her carefully and bandaging her entire torso until she almost looked like a mummy. Before carefully lifting her and setting her on her bed, and the high priestess had her drink a brew that quickly made her fall asleep.

Dismissing the other priestesses, she turned her own attention to Contrez and said quietly confided to her, “It was a very close fight for most of the night, the queen countered a lot of the attack, but as night came, she was steadily weakening and taking more and more damage. More than once she seemed to waver and was about to surrender but then she seemed to rally.

Her mantra was always “You will not win this challenge there is one better than you and I want her!” It would drive Spice wild every time she said it.” Looking at the sleeping queen then back to Contrez she added. “I don't know what she sees in you but she clearly does see something to want you so badly that the mere thought of you could make her keep going despite all she took in damage. I hope she is right, she is much closer to death right now than to life, and the next several hours will be critical if she lives or dies.” That said, the priestess also departed, and was replaced by a lesser one to watch over the queen and see to her needs if she should awaken. Contrez joined her in the quiet watch, which would last until late that night before she finally awakened, but by then, her voice seemed a bit stronger, still weak, but better than the whispering voice of earlier. To the eyes of Contrez at least, it appeared that Amerlin was past the critical point and would live.

Sending a guard to tell the high priestess the queen was awake, Contrez was content to just sit at the queen's side and wait. Once the priestess had come and confirmed she was out of immediate danger, the queen in a quiet voice told all to leave except Contrez. It got a long look from the high priestess and she nodded but also said curtly to Contrez, “See to it she moves as little as possible, it will take a couple days for her ribs to mend enough to even walk slowly, much less the more active things she likes to do..” and pointedly looked at Contrez before turning and leaving.

A half giggle and laugh came from Amerlin's lips at the obvious reference but it faded at once, she was still in a lot of pain, and for once, the queen was willing to obey the priestess' commands. It did not stop her however from telling Contrez some of the highlights and also the lowlights of the bitter struggle between them. She had been right that Spice would do all she could to break her and had broke one rib early the others would follow later, but she had made a deft move during the night toppling the two locked together in a way that had Spice fall with the queen on top of her and she had used it to break a rib and crack a second one in turn, somewhat evening the damages and making it harder for Spice to continue her own assault at full force. It had been very close however, and Amerlin did admit there had been several times when she was about to yield, and barely hung on refusing to surrender. One thing was certain however, and the queen's plans for the journey of hers was off for at least a full cycle of the moon, before she would be called fit enough for the long and oft difficult trip to all the villages. The high priestess when she checked on the two later that morning made it very clear on that point, and Amerlin did not seem inclined to disagree.

Contrez for her own part had been quiet and thoughtful as well, she was expected to head out in a day or so for her own trip to the villages, but that night, she came to the queen, a look on her face that spoke volumes even without words. Amerlin saw it, knew what was on Contrez's mind and had to ask. “Do you really want to go and find her, to confront her? You have not healed your own ribs yet you know.”

The reminder got a half grimaced look from Contrez, but her words were sure. “Yes, when she challenged you, it was also a challenge to me as well, one I feel an obligation to answer, and as you pointed out, she also has similar damage to her own ribs, it puts us on even grounds.” Amerlin was silent for several seconds and for once her own emotions were equally clear on her face, yet she relented in the end. “I could order you to not go, and make it a decree from your queen, even send my best hunters out to track her down and kill her before you could find her. But I can understand your feelings. Go then, but take no more than eight days and nights to do this, at the end of that time, I expect you here in this village and reporting to me of your success, if you do not return by then, don't return at all for I will know you had failed.”

Contrez smiled at the words, and clasped her hands and swore she would return, then turning she left the chamber, her goal to seek out and challenge Spice to fight her to the death. From the direction she had gone, it was doubtful she had returned to the caves that had been her home to hide there or travel through them to the lands beyond, it suggested instead she was heading for the high plateau instead, and Contrez made good time reaching the edge and after several hours of searching for signs, found the trail of Spice, she was following the wood's edge and heading east towards the plains, and Contrez picked up her own pace to try and catch up, a task that took the better part of that day before she saw Spice in the distance, moving slowly but steadily.

As she approached, she called her name, and Spice turned surprise to hear her name and then anger and hate on her face as she saw who had called her. “Have you come to gloat over my loss, to drive the pain and hate to even higher levels now that you have won and I am banned forever from the queen's side!” Contrez slowed and stopped several paces away, her own voice clear enough as she said, “No I come here with the queen's blessing to answer a call that we both have heard, a call that must be answered. I ask that you follow me and raise no hand against me until I say otherwise.”

The look of pure hate faded to a mix of hate, pain and perhaps confusion but she half growled, “Very well, despite all else, I am a woman who honors her word, lead on.” Without further word, Contrez turned, not east like they were traveling nor south back in to the forest, but north heading out over the high plains. Night came and found them close to a dozen miles from the forests edge when Contrez found what she was looking for. A large stream ran west to east across the land and along it grew a limited amount of grasslands and some trees as well taking advantage of the water's presence. Here she stopped their trek and took a drink of water, and then bade Spice to do the same. When Spice was done and stood back up, she was half surprised to see that Contrez had removed her clothes and tossed them aside, she was now as bare as Spice was and she raised her hands and pointed south from where they had come from.

“Here, we are beyond the borders of Queen Amerlin, beyond her laws and rituals. You know you hate me and want me dead, you also challenged me in your own indirect way and I have brought you here where we may settle this between us one on one and woman to woman, when it is done, only one of us will walk away from here, they other will remain here a lifeless body for the animals to feed upon. The queen has no control over either of us out here, so let us finish this as two fighting women should, do you have any preferences as to how we shall fight?”

For the first time since she had ever seen her, Spice smiled, and she slowly opened her arms wide. “They say you managed to make the queen pass out a few times with your bearhug, but so have I. It was the challenge of the bear that has left me as I am and brought you and me out here, let us finish it then with the bear, as it seems only fit, and to be honest I want to see if I'm better than you with it.” A small smile touched the lips of Contrez and perhaps in the light of the half moon overhead her eyes as well. “Thought you would say that.” Was all she said quietly, and she slowly spread her arms in turn matching the stance of Spice before dropping in to a half crouch, as the two women began to circle each other. . . . . .

It would be well in to the fifth day, since Contrez had disappeared in to the forest in search of Spice, and Amerlin was quietly walking around the village, her own damaged ribs still hurt bad, but she was well enough to move about, and her sense of duties had her not just sticking to her formal hut where she conducted matters of the queen, but she went out and about the village as she tended to do every day. Suddenly one of the hunter women was seen running towards her and as she came within a few feet, she stopped and knelt briefly to her and said. “Our hunting party has come across Contrez; she is alive and heading back to the village even now with half the hunting team as an escort, for she appears to be hurt badly.” Nodding her head in acknowledgement, Amerlin told her to relay the message to the high priestess and ask her to come to the queen's chamber to tend to Contrez when she returned, for she was certain that was where she would go.

She was right, and the priestess arrived and the two waited a good hour and more before shouts at the village's edge announced the arrival of the party with Contrez. It also drew a crowd that followed them across the village to the queen's hut, but the queen herself came out to the entry and with no regards for social status of the two gently embraced her in a hug and then letting go told the people. “Be of good heart and allow her peace these next few days, I doubt not there is a tale to be told, and it will be if she desires it to be heard, but not until she has rested and healed enough to make a sound decision!” It was dismissal, and the crowds took it for that and dispersed, while the queen returned inside.

The priestess had not even allowed Contrez to go to where she had been staying, and there in the main hut had her on the floor and was carefully probing her body and then started bandaging her and forced her to drink a brew that sent her in to a deep sleep, much as she had done to the queen several days ago. The voice of the priestess when she was done and turned to the queen was almost as bad a growl of a mean tempered bear. “She's as stubborn as you, and perhaps as foolish to have allowed herself to be injured this bad, the partially mended ribs are broken again as are others, she'll be lucky if she's able to go on that trip you planned for her in a month, certainly not in the next few days!” Only the fact of her high office gave the high priestess of war the right to speak openly to the queen as she did, it was not a right she used often, but this time she did without hesitation. Making a half frustrated chuffing sound, she gathered up her tools and wraps and left the two, while the guards came in and carefully carried Contrez to her old chamber, until the queen signaled them to stop and rather than set her on the floor mats had her placed on her own bed and then they left leaving the two alone.

As it had been a week or so ago, but now the roles reversed. Amerlin held watch over her slave that night and the next day until the medicines and herbs did their work and Contrez awoke, safe enough to barely move and not endanger herself. After a meal and some warm spiced wine to help her feel better, Contrez was able to tell the queen some of the crucial details. . . .

“As you probably suspected would happen, when I found her and confronted her, we fought in what would be a battle of bearhugs. Her hatred was great as you knew and she possibly could have killed me there when we first clashed, but she wanted me to suffer first, wanted me to know some of her pain and she wanted to hear me beg her to end it and kill me, something I was not willing to do. There was also something else, something that I realized after the first couple hours, and that was a desire on my part to also best her, but first I wanted her to get her anger out of her and to acknowledge me as her equal, it drove me on and kept me from begging. It took over three days of us fighting in bearhug exchanges until we could go on no more and she grudgingly began to respect me and realize what I meant to do. It was enough to allow her to finally find her own release of the hate, or most of it anyway. I realized she could never forgive me fully for taking her place, or you for besting her in that challenge, but she did find her release and she acknowledged me as being as good as her without true hate. We knew then that we could either end it there as equals and each go our own way or face each other a final time. Her own sense of honor insisted that we had to fight the final time, choosing to fight to the death with honor rather than wander the lands in dishonor. I saw and understood that and we faced off for the final fight.

It was intense for us both, we agreed this time we would not rest as we had before, and would fight until one of us did beg for the end. In the end, it was she who took the most damage, I think I broke most of the ribs and her lungs were starting to fill with blood and she knew it was over. I had as you saw also taken a good deal of damage as we held nothing back, her final words were simply “End it you are the better of us.” Contrez stopped for several long seconds as she considered the fight, and Amerlin also remembered Spice as she had been. Contrez then finished her tale saying, “Although I had said ‘one of us would walk away leaving the body of the other for the animals to feed upon, I could not do that after what we had done. With my own hands I dug a hole deep enough to bury her under a tree near a stream and found enough large stones to set upon the top of it. No animal shall have her body, and her spirit I hope will find its way to her people's god or goddess for judgment that I hope will be favorable.”

Amerlin found herself nodding her own head in agreement, “I think you did the right thing, as did she, even if her actions took her to this difficult trail, and her goddess will see that and judge her worthy.” Looking down at Contrez she smiled, “Tonight however, you have the privilege to sleep in my bed, though I doubt either of us are really up to any of the rough stuff, especially you right now. Tomorrow however you go to your new room, while you were gone, they finished it and the bed went in only this morning, other things still need to be made but that's for later. Now rest, you need to heal up. That trip to the other villages will have to wait a few more weeks according to the priestess.”

A smile twitched across the lips of Contrez and she said, “I'll be ready to travel in maybe two weeks, the priestess doesn't know me well enough yet and how I can mend up.” That got a smile in turn from Amerlin. “I would truly like to see her eat her words if you can do that” She turned thoughtful and then said, “For now however you need to rest as she said. No more bear hugging for us for at least a couple weeks.” Contrez nodded acceptance but then a look crossed her face and she asked, “May I ask a favor of my queen?” That got a raised eye from Amerlin but she nodded her head ‘yes' and Contrez beckoned her closer and spoke quietly in her ear. Her works caught Amerlin by surprise and she jerked her head up and gave her slave a long look. “That does not seem wise given all you just went through” she said quietly, but Contrez just grinned at her and said “Doubt it'll hurt our ribs that much if we stay put, or do you fear that I'll win this time” That got a frown from Amerlin, “You should know better than that, I don't fear you, rather I fear for you.” That got a giggle in turn and Contrez said, “Well then?” Several long seconds passed, Amerlin was used to having things her way, not being told what to do, this rankled a bit, but she decided given what her favored had done in recent times, she could oblige her this time, though she also made a quiet vow to herself to make sure she didn't get in the habit of making such requests too often.

Sliding down towards Contrez's feet she grabbed the ankles and slid herself slowly towards the end of the bed, and then crawled back up until she was even with her head. “Are you sure you want this?” she asked a final time, but the smile on the lips of Contrez said she did without words, and the queen shifted around her own feet facing away and laying alongside Contrez face up awaited her move. Slowly, Contrez rolled over, a grimace on her face as she twisted and her ribs protested a bit but then she rolled face down on top of the queen, supporting her upper body on her elbows, her own large breasts just above the queen's face, hands partially under the queen's head, the classic smother starting position. Amerlin's own arms came up and wrapped around Contrez's own head and drew it down towards her own breasts facing up and just below her face. Both women could be heard taking several deep breaths, and then the queen's arms tensed and closed forcing the face of her prized slave down in to her cleavage even as Contrez feeling the pull finished sliding her arms under the queens head and closed her arms in turn, her body coming down on the queen's face and it in turn driven deep in the cleavage for a matching air tight seal.

Normally the two would have begun twisting and turning at once seeking to roll each other and gain the top and better position, this time neither did so, Contrez stayed on top and both women began to squirm as the air went bad and they tried to hold out the longest. Three slow minutes passed as they continued their near silent struggle, only the faintest of muffled moans came from the throats before Amerlin suddenly quivered and went still her hands letting go, and Contrez raised her face, a distinct ashen blue look to it and rolled off the queen and looked at her face, and the open glazed eyes that said the queen had indeed passed out, a strange look on her face, part erotic, part something else but hard to say. With a contented sigh as she saw the queen's breasts start to rise and fall as she began to breathe again on her own, she dropped her own head limply and allowed fatigue to claim her as well. She had bested the queen this time in the smother and was satisfied. As she drifted off to sleep, Amerlin woke from her own enforced nap and looked briefly at her a smile twitched her lips and she kissed the breasts before laying back and allowing herself to drift off to sleep. Contrez would likely never realize it, but the queen had held back on her seemingly deep breaths, she had short changed her air and essentially threw the duel between them to Contrez, as a way of saluting her for her courage to do what she had done. There would however be a time in a few weeks when she would have a rematch with her, rolling and all, and that one would be for real!